Draper platforms for harvesting equipment have one or more flat, wide belts, referred to as a draper or a draper belt, to convey crop material. The arrangement and the number of belts vary among platforms. One style of platform has two side belts that convey crop material laterally to the center of the platform where a feed belt moves the crop material longitudinally into the harvesting machine. The draper belts have two ends that are joined together to form a continuous belt. At each end of the belt, an upstanding flange is provided. These belt end flanges are joined together by a connector assembly to form a continuous belt. The connector assembly serves as a transverse cleat which, together with other cleats formed along the belt length, functions to convey crop material in the direction of belt travel.
In this typical belt, the upstanding cleat extends substantially along the entire width of the belt from the leading edge to the trailing edge. See, for example, the arrangement of U.S. Pat. No. 6,238,131. When a belt cover is provided to hold down the leading edge of the belt, the cleats get in the way and prevent a good seal between the cover and the belt.
What is needed in the art is a draper belt for a platform of a harvester that provides a good seal between a cover and the belt.